The business of healthcare presents a wealth of opportunities for bad actors to exploit, so it's important for cybersecurity professionals to stay on top of the latest trends and threats in the industry.

That's why Black Hat organizers are highlighting a few Briefings scheduled to take place during next month's virtual Black Hat USA event. Each offers a fresh perspective on the challenges of keeping the healthcare industry secure from threats both from within and without, as well as some practical insights you can apply to your own work.

Ransomware, data breaches, and hacks have long plagued the healthcare industry; in some cases, this has led to medical practices shutting down, leaving patients unable to get their medical records. The guidance provided to many providers has not specifically addressed what organizations need to do to protect their patients and themselves; worse, it has left many smaller healthcare providers vulnerable to "snake oil" vendors peddling costly risk assessments that provide no lasting solutions.

Stopping Snake Oil with Smaller Healthcare Providers: Addressing Security with Actionable Plans and Maximum Value is a Briefing aimed at addressing these problems with practical, actionable guidance from a healthcare CISO about what to do and what tools to use.

Black Hat USA attendees can get more perspective on the issue by checking out Healthscare — An Insider's Biopsy of Healthcare Application Security, a Briefing designed to highlight vulnerabilities and design issues within healthcare security solutions.

Expect a thorough dissection of numerous clinical systems, including radiology reading, electronic medical record downtime, patient entertainment, pharmacy distribution, nurse communication, clinical documentation, and temperature monitoring systems. While the prognosis isn't great, attendees can look forward to a frank breakdown of the situation and some helpful insights from a seasoned infosec director in the healthcare industry.

Carrying Our Insecurities with Us: The Risks of Implanted Medical Devices in Secure Spaces explores the problem of allowing increasingly smart implanted medical devices (IMDs) in secure spaces. The number of IMDs in use in the United States has been steadily increasing as new technologies emerge and improve. Attend this Black Hat USA Briefing for an expert rundown of why they threaten the security of protected data, as well as a series of technical and policy mitigations for these devices that balance the constraints of medical necessity and security.

For more details on these cutting-edge Briefings and many more, check out the Black Hat USA Briefings schedule.

Register now for this year's fully virtual Black Hat USA, still scheduled to take place August 1–6, and get more information about the event on the Black Hat website.